Your genes could change your prescription. So why aren't doctors testing?

ملخص مفصل

One in four people has been prescribed a drug for which their genetics could affect treatment, according to a recent study. Genetic testing could help doctors choose safer, more effective drugs, but cost and other barriers currently limit its routine use in Canada, researchers say.

One of the clues your doctor may be missing when prescribing medication is in your DNA.

A study published Wednesday in Science Translational Medicine found that nearly one in four participants had been prescribed a medication that could have required a different drug or dose based on their genetics.

The study, led by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, examined 16 genes that affect how the body responds to medications.

DNA samples from 98,590 people in the National Institutes of Health's All of Us Research Program were analyzed and linked to participants' medical records when available.

Each carried at least one relevant genetic variation that could affect how their body responds to certain medications, with a typical participant carrying nine. Among those with both genetic and clinical data, 24.4 per cent had been prescribed at least one medication that, based on their genes, guidelines suggest should have been replaced with another drug or given a different dose.

However, the study did not determine whether patients experienced side effects or whether their medications were less effective because of their genetic makeup.

The study's senior author, Dr. Philip Empey, an associate professor at the University of Pittsburgh school of pharmacy, says knowing a patient's genetic profile could help reduce the trial and error of medicine.

"I think anything we can do to better predict the first time, what the best medicines should be, what the best dose should be, the more we can reduce that trial and error," he said.

A pharmacist sorts medications at a pharmacy in Vancouver in October 2022. Genetic variations can affect how patients respond to certain medications, potentially requiring doctors to adjust the dose or prescribe an alternative drug. (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press)

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